Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bearing isolators for mounting tapered bearings to supporting structures to isolate the supporting structures from the axial and the radial vibrations and oscillations that the bearings, and the shafts rotatably supported thereby, are subject to. More particularly, this invention relates to isolators utilized in connection with tapered bearings rotatably supporting torque transmitting shafts in vehicular mechanical change gear transmissions.
Resilient, flexible and/or cushioned bearing mounts or isolators utilized to isolate a support member from the vibrations and oscillations to which a bearing and the rotatably supported member, most often a shaft of some type, is subject to are, of course, well known in the prior art. Examples of such prior art devices may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,733,108; 3,309,154; 3,385,543; 3,709,570; 4,422,780 and 4,825,718, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Vehicular drivetrain components such as drive axles and mechanical change gear transmissions which utilize bearings, included tapered bearings, to rotatably support torque transmitting members, usually comprising some type of shafts, in a housing are well known in the prior art as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,788,889; 4,754,665; 4,736,643; 4,735,109; 4,709,590; 4,373,403; 4,761,867 and 4,678,017, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The use of bearing isolators and/or of cushioned, resilient and/or flexible bearing mounts in drivetrain components to isolate the drive train component housing from shaft and gear vibrations and oscillations to reduce wear, to dampen the vibrations or oscillations, to increase vehicular occupant comfort and/or to minimize drive train noise is known. However, the previous resilient bearing mounts/bearing isolators were not totally satisfactory as the prior art devices were complicated and/or expensive to manufacture and/or assemble, utilized rubber and/or other nonmetallic materials which were expensive, not totally elastic, not of a proper spring, not long wearing, and/or excessively sensitive to temperature and lubricants, and/or did not provide isolation in both the axial and the radial directions and/or did not limit deflection and stress of the resilient members.